Attachment for pads of a chair



April 1962 R. c. HOWELL, JR 3,030,149

ATTACHMENT FOR PADS OF A CHAIR Filed June 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR a of d U; d/ Wm ATTORNEY April 17, 1962 R. c. HOWELL, JR 3,030,149

ATTACHMENT FOR PADS OF A CHAIR Filed June 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR 9" 66am: 6. 0 5M826 BY??? MK L.

ATTORNEY Unite ttes 3,030,149 Patented Apr. 17, 1952 3,030,149 ATTACHMENT FOR PADS OF A CHAIR Roland C. Howell, Jr., Waterport, N .Y., assignor to S. A. Cook & Co., Medina, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 17, 1959, Ser. No. 820,959 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-456) This invention relates to an upholstered chair, and more particularly to the upholstery of a basket-shaped chair frame.

This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 738,395 filed May 28, 1958, for upholstered chair.

As with my said co-pending application, the method of the present invention provides for rapid and uniform upholstering, without wrinkles, crevices or over-stressed areas, of basket-shaped chair frames with pads which include a number of plies, such as a layer of soft, resilient cushioning material protected by a cover and a sheet of coarse backing material. The basket-shaped chair frame to which such upholstering is applied is in the form of a rattan and wood frame usually made by hand and as produced vary materially in the shape and dimensions of outline and the shape and dimensions of the seat and the back surfaces. The present invention provides for the upholstering of a succession of such rattan and wood basket-shaped frames of varying dimensions and shapes with plies of upholstering covers, cushioning materials and coarse backing sheets precut to identical uniform patterns but which will fit the wide variations encountered in the shape and dimensions of the chair frame.

In common with my said co-pending application, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a smooth, wrinkle-free upholstered surface free from objectionable stresses and reliably secured to basket-shaped chair frames having wide variations in shapes and dimensions.

Another general object is to provide such a chair in which many layers of the upholstering material can be simultaneously cut to identical pattern by conventional cloth-cutting machines and the identical pieces joined to one another and to chair frames of varying dimensions and size to produce the above wrinkle-free and stress-free appearance and form of upholstering. By cutting the upholstering materials identical to pattern, a great saving is involved, as compared with tailoring these pieces to each individual basket-shaped chair which would be very costly.

Another general object of the invention is to provide such an upholstered chair which is of pleasing and outstanding appearance both as to shape and arrangement of seams and also as to the finish of all visible surfaces, and which is comfortable and luxurious in use and at the same time light in weight and low in cost.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a very simple and low cost attachment for the upholstery pads to the center of the basket-like chair frame and which method lends itself to rapid line production methods and a minimum of hand operations.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an upholstered chair embodying the principles of the invention, the material usually covering and concealing the back and a part of the bottom of the basket frame, and the usual trim, not being illustrated.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the basket-shaped frame used in the chair of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the basket-shaped chair frame to be upholstered and showing the assembled upholstery pads placed thereon for attachment thereto, the

back pad of the upholstery being folded down upon the seat pad thereof so as to disclose the manner in which the upholstery is attached to the basket-like frame along the center line thereof.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sections taken generally along the correspondingly numbered lines on FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a block and two-legged staple which forms one of the attachments used in the practice of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a nail and anchoring or clinch button used as another attachment in the practice of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section taken generally on line 9-9, FIG. 2.

A completed upholstered chair embodying the present invention, with the exception of the usual backing material concealing the back and a part of the bottom of the basket chair frame, and also the usual trim, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as including an upholstered basket-shaped body or frame indicated generally at 12 and shown in side elevational view in FIG. 3 and in partial top plan view in FIG. 4. This basket-shaped body or frame is shown as supported on a tubular leg framework indicated generally at 13. The basket-shaped body is in the form of a rigid frame and has a round or circular rim defining side and back surfaces meeting each other along a generally semi-circular or arcuate line which terminates at its opposite ends at the rim, the side and back surfaces being thereby'generally in the form of an oval having pointed ends and the side and back surfaces being generally similar in length and outline, subject, however, to variations, as hereinafter described, in the shape and dimensions of successive chair frames to be upholstered.

The basket-shaped rigid frame or body 12 of the upholstered chair is made from wood and woven ratten and includes a circular wooden rim frame member 16 and a semi-circular or arcuate wooden frame member 17 which is secured at each end to the rim member 16 and is arranged to extend downwardly normal thereto. A generally vertical back stile 18 is shown as joined at its upper end to the top of the circular rim 16 and at its lower end to the center of the semi-circular frame mem' ber 17. The frame is shown as including a pair of generally horizontal and parallel side rails 19 each of which is joined at one end to the front part of the circular rim 16 and at its other end to the semi-circular frame member 17.

Particularly when hand made, such framework can vary greatly in dimensions and form. For example, the circular rim 16 can vary considerably in diameter and can be truly circular or can be oval in any direction or be eggshaped in the finished frame. Similarly, the semi-circular or arcuate frame member 17 can vary considerably in length and can depart from true semi-circular form and can be relatively deep or shallow or somewhat lopsided in the completed chair frame.

The chair or body 12 is completed by providing a. back surface 20 of flexible woven material such as rattan or bamboo which is shown as woven around the upper half of the rim 16 and also around the semi-circular or arcuate frame member 17, this surface thereby being of oval form with pointed ends. Similarly, a seat surface 21 of a flexible material, such as woven rattan or bamboo, is woven at its lower edge to the lower part of the circular rim 16 and is woven along its back edge around its semi-circular back edge 17 so that this seat surface 21-is also of oval shape with pointed ends and also preferably of substantially the same size and form as the back surface 20. The stile 18 and side rails 19" are arranged in rear and below, respectively the woven rattan.

.The metal framework 13 providing the legs can be of any suitable form and attached to the basket-shaped "frame 12in any suitable manner, the details of this leg framework and attachment forming no part of the pres- 'ent invention and hence not being illustrated.

The invention is directed to upholstering the basketshaped frame, as above described, with resilient cushioning material and a cover, the back and seat portions 20 and 21 of the frame being upholstered with identical pads each indicated generally at 22. Each of these pads is shown as composed of a number of plies, namely, a rattan sheet 23 of coarse backing material adapted to lie against the rattan surfaces 21, 22; a thick layer 24 of resilient cushioninginaterial which can be of any composition but preferably is in the form of a resilient plastic or latex foam material, and a cover 25 which can be of any material such as cloth, leather or synthetic plastic sheets. These pieces are of similar oval form with pointed ends to conform generally to the back and seat surfaces 20 and 21, but a feature of the invention is that a large quantity of, say, the covers 25 can be. cut from a pile of cover material by means of a cloth of the same form and size and at the same time will ultimately provide a wrinkle and crease-free cover on the upholstered piece of furniture for both the seat and back thereof. This cutting to a pattern also applies to the sheet 23 of coarse backing material and the intermediate layer 24 of resilient cushioning material. Desirabl'y the intermediate layer 24 of resilient cushioning material is of somewhat smaller size than the layers 23 and 25 so that the edges of the latter are available for attachment purposes as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 9.

These layers or plies 23, 24 and 25 for each pad 22 are brought together with the layer 24 of resilient cushioning material sandwiched between the sheet 23 of coarse backing material and cover 25. These layers or plies of each pad are then joined together by transversely spaced lines 26 of stitching. As with my said co-pending application these lines 26 of stitching are spaced closer together along one rounding edge of the joined layers 23, 24, 25 and are spaced further apart along the opposite rounding edge thereof, these lines thereby being in radial or diverging relation to one another and these lines preferably being in symmetrical relationship. These lines of stitches 26 produce a succession of arches in both the covers 25 and the closely woven backing sheets 23, this providing a limited lengthwise stretchability of the edges of the finished pads 22 in alternating these arches to a greater or less degree in order to fit to irregularities in the shape or dimensions of the frame or body 12.,

Two pads 22 are used for each chair and these two pads are joined together along corresponding edges by a line 27 of stitching, spaced a short distance from the corresponding edges, this line of stitching preferably being along the edges of the pads from which the lines 26 of stitching diverge, and the two pads being secured together with their covers 25 in face-to-face relationship so that the resulting structure is a bag shaped form with the layers 25 of covering material lining the same and so that the lines of stitching 26 of one pad register with the lines of stitching 26 of the other pad. 7

Instead of the attaching tabs or cords illustrated in my said co-pending application, the edges joined by the lines of stitching 27 are secured to the body or frame 12 along the semi-circular frame member 17, by means of the attaching devices illustrated in perspective in FIGS. 7 and 8.

For this purpose the pads so joined by the seam 27 are placed in the basket-shaped body or frame 12 with one pad on the seat surface 21 thereof and with the other pad in cover-to-cover relation with this first pad, this position of the parts being illustrated in FIG. 4. The operator then applies an anchoring block 30 of wood or the like to theunderside of the basket-like frame 12,

this block of wood being placed against the underside of the seat'sur'face21 of the frame and close to the' semicircular wooden frame member 17.. With a suitable sta pler (not shown) he then drives a two legged staple 31 through at least two of the plies of the two joined pads 22 close to the lines of stitching 27 thereof. As shown, each staple 31 has two legs 32 pointed at one end and provided with a common head or connecting portion 33 at the other end. This staple 31 is arranged between this line of stitching 27 and the adjacent edges of the two pads and the staple passes through the seat surface 21 of the basket-shaped frame into the wooden block 30 in which it anchors. The head 33 of the staple is driven into contact with the coarse backing sheet 23 of the back pad 22. These staples desirably are of a type which tend to clinch themselves in the wooden block 30 so as not to workloose in service. A second wooden block 30 is placed against the underside of the rattan seat surface 21 close to the semi-circular wooden frame member 17 but spaced from the center block and staple 30, 31. This second block is spaced so as to be at the end of a corresponding pair of radial rows of stitching 26 of the two pads 22. The joined pads 22 are then fitted to this area of the basket-shaped chair frame, the cover being capable of being stretched or pushed together slightly to accommodate any particular variation in the size or shape of the basket-shaped chair frame 12 to the end that the final upholstery is free from any wrinkles or areas of concentrated stress. A second staple 31 is then driven through the two pads and through the seating surface 21 into the second wooden block 30 with its head 33 bearing against the coarse backing sheet 23 of the back pad 22. Again this staple is located between the line 27 of stitching and the adjacent edges of the two pads 22.

A block 30 and staple 31 is then attached in the same manner, this staple being located at the radial seam 26 at the side of the center seam and remote from the second staple and block 30, 31.

At this point there may be a very considerable variation in the locating of the next succeeding pair of radial seams 26 and with such variation the use of blocks 30 to anchor staples 31 has not proved too satisfactory. Accordingly to attach the two pads 22, at the start of the next or outermost rows of radial stitching 26, the nail and clinch type button washers shown in FIG. 8 are preferably used. The nail 35 has a roughened stem pointed at one end and having a head 36 at its other end, the stem passing into holes 38 jointly provided in the opposing ends of tongues 39 formed internally and integral with spring strips 40. Each nail 35 is preferably driven into the pair of holes 38 by means of a suitable machine (not shown) which insures exact registry of the pair of bottom washers while the nail is being driven.

As with the staples 30 each nail 35 is alined with the pair of seams 26 and is driven through at least two of the plies of the two pads 22 between the seam 27 and the adjacent edges of these pads. These nails also are driven through the seat surface 21 close to the semi-circular frame member 17. These nails are preferably applied by means of a machine (not shown) and each nail first passes through one button washer 40 arranged on top of the pads and then passes through the second button washer 40 which is held against the underside of the bottom of the seat surface 21 of the frame. The two button washers 35 securely hold the joined pads in position.

Following this the back pad 22 is folded up and its free edge united to the upper part of the circular rim member 16 by staples 41 or in any other suitable manner. The free edge of the bottom of the pad 22 can then be attached to the bottom part of the circular frame member in the'same manner. It will be understood that the chair can be completed by applying any suitable material to conceal the back or any parts of the bottom of the basketlike frame 12,.together with appropriate trim, such being describedin detail and in my said co-pending application and'forming no part of the present invention and hence not being shown or described.

spec,

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a very simple manner for attaching covers of standard size and shape to basket-like chair frames of varying outline and shape and that it is particularly adapted to low cost line production methods While at the same time providing upholstery of high quality in appearance and pleasing durability.

What is claimed is:

1. An upholstered chair, comprising a frame having a rim defining seat and back surfaces having opposing edges which meet each other along a generally arcuate line terminating at opposite ends at said rim, a pair of chair pads severally conforming to said surfaces and secured together along corresponding edges by a joining seam spaced a short distance from said corresponding edges, a series of metal fastening members arranged at spaced intervals along said edges and passing through both of said pads intermediate said joining seam and corresponding edges and also passing through one of said surfaces adjacent said arcuate line, a member anchoring each of said metal fastening members and disposed against the side of said one of said surfaces opposite its pad, and means securing the other edges of said pads to said frame along said rim.

2. An upholstered chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least certain of said metal fasteners are in the form of two legged staples and the companion anchoring members are in the form of Wooden blocks.

3. An upholstered chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least certain of said metal fasteners are in the form of headed nails and the companion anchoring members are in the form of metal strips having integral opposing tongues between which the nails are driven.

4. An upholstered chair, comprising a frame having a rim defining seat and back surfaces having opposing edges which meet each other along a generally arcuate line terminating at opposite end at said rim, a pair of chair pads severally conforming to said surfaces and each comprising a plurality of plies of different material including a cover, a joining stitched seam securing said pads together in cover-to-cover relation along corresponding edges and spaced a short distance from said corresponding edges, a series of metal fastening members each pointed at one end and having a head at the other end said fastening members being arranged at spaced intervals along said corresponding edges and passing through at least two plies each of both of said pads intermediate said joining seam and said corresponding edges with their heads against the corresponding pad and also driven through one of said surfaces adjacent said arcuate line, a member receiving and anchoring the pointed end of each of said metal fastening members and disposed against the side of said one of said surfaces opposite its pad, and means securing the other edges of said pads to said frame along said rim.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 178,888 Keal Oct. 2, 1956 2,723,712 Yellen Nov. 15, 1955 2,782,839 Cole Feb. 26, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES Furniture Age, April 1955, page 41, Revolving Chair. (Copy in Design Div.) 

